Best Book I've Read in A WHILE: THIS IS OUR STORY by Ashley Elston

Title: This is Our Story
Author: Ashley Elston
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: November 15, 2016
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

No one knows what happened that morning at River Point. Five boys went hunting. Four came back. The boys won’t say who fired the shot that killed their friend; the evidence shows it could have been any one of them.

Kate Marino’s senior year internship at the District Attorney’s Office isn’t exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen. The River Point Boys are all anyone can talk about. Despite their damning toxicology reports the morning of the accident, the DA wants the boys’ case swept under the rug. He owes his political office to their powerful families.

Kate won’t let that happen. Digging up secrets without revealing her own is a dangerous line to walk; Kate has her own reasons for seeking justice for Grant. As she and Stone investigate—the ageing prosecutor relying on Kate to see and hear what he cannot—she realizes that nothing about the case—or the boys—is what it seems. Grant wasn’t who she thought he was, and neither is Stone’s prime suspect. As Kate gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all—and if Kate doesn’t uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line…including her own.

I've had this ARC for months, but I wanted to wait until I was in the perfect mood for it because if blogging has taught me anything, it's that I am SUCH a mood reader. And I also know from experience that forcing myself to read a book when I'm not in the right frame of mind for it can be detrimental to my mental state, as well as reflect poorly on the book itself. And with a book like this, that I've been anticipating for some time, I didn't want to take any chances. But with hunting season -- or I should say, rifle season -- having just started here in Texas, it finally felt like the right time.

I haven't been writing many full-length reviews lately, but honestly, this book couldn't be summed up in just a few short lines like my regular snippet reviews of late. It's near-perfection means that I just have to regale you with just how amazing this story is. And. It. Is. Amazing.

I like sleep a lot. Sure, when I was younger, I used to stay up till the wee hours of the morning to finish a book in one sitting, but those days are pretty much past me. Except when it comes to a book like this one. It's SO rare for me to forego sleep in the name of a good book, but for the past two nights, I have stayed up reading This is Our Story and I haven't regretted a single second of missed sleep. I don't know that I've read a book that kept me on the edge of my seat like this one in ages...maybe ever.

It's not often that a suspenseful book can actually keep me in suspense, but this novel managed it. There were aspects that I definitely figured out beforehand, but the mystery at the heart of the story -- who killed Grant Perkins -- remained hidden for me throughout the story. Sure, looking back now, I should have seen it, but the red herrings and misdirections were so twisty and cleverly-plotted that I never realized I was being misled. That is quite a talent considering I'm usually only 20% into a story before I've figured out everything. I was just so invested, so captivated by the drama unfolding, that I never saw it. And I'm glad for it because it made that ending so much more powerful.

And let's be real...I was also a bit totally distracted by the romance, which was ill-advised at worst and oh-so-sweet at best. Kate took a lot of chances. I think things would have gone very differently, had she not been involved with the case, but then where would the story be? It wouldn't be THEIR story, that's for sure.

A few other things I want to mention before I just start screaming at you to go get this book because you absolutely have to read it and love it and caress that beautiful cover:

- I LOVED the way this story is told, with alternating chapters from the killer's POV and Kate's perspective. I also loved the addition of interrogation transcripts and text messages between Kate and her prospective love interest. Mixed media to tell a complete story is quickly becoming my favorite format. It's so inclusive and really makes you feel a part of the story. Honestly, I was kind of waiting for the audiobook - which apparently isn't a thing yet - but I'm glad I read the book instead because of the format.

- My husband is an avid hunter, so I worried about how realistic this story would be, how true to real-life it would hold. But it's not really about the hunting experience, more the experience of losing a friend and having it pinned on his four closest friends and what that does to a community, especially a small one like the one depicted in this story. I will point out that I find it hard to believe that these kids were hunting for deer with GUNS on October 5th. I know that different regions have different rules and regulations, but I find that awful early, considering that's usually when archery season starts for deer here in Texas. I researched it a little, just to satisfy my own curiosity, but I'm still not 100% on it so I'm not gonna quote facts. Plus, I get that the kids were all dicking around and probably had no intention of actually shooting a deer that morning, plus they were on private property and the rules are often different in those circumstances, as well. So, probably not worth mentioning, lol. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

- The characters in this novel are just all so wonderfully complicated. Their friendships run deep and their loyalties run deeper still. It was kind of heart-breaking to watch it all crumble, but also immensely fascinating.

- This story DEFINITELY got that small town feel right, where everyone knows your business, sometimes even before you do. And I especially loved what the author did with the "good ole boy" system...so gratifying.

This was my first experience reading an Ashley Elston novel, but I cannot sing its praises enough. If you love a thriller that will keep you guessing, that will keep you turning the pages and then turning them back to double-check things, YOU WANT THIS BOOK.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Ashley Elston lives is North Louisiana with her husband and three sons. She worked as a wedding and portrait photographer for ten years until she decided to pursue writing full time. Ashley is also a certified landscape horticulturist and loves digging in the dirt. Her debut novel, THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING, was published by Disney Hyperion in 2013 and the sequel, THE RULES FOR BREAKING, in 2014. Her latest novel, THIS IS OUR STORY, will be published on November 15, 2016.

Find Ashley:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram

Read More

Labels: ashley elston, beautiful covers, contemporary, disney, favorites, murder mystery, must-read, psychological thriller, reviews, this is our story

{WOW} The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...








's Pick:



Title: The Female of the Species
Author: Mindy McGinnis
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: September 20, 2016

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever. Acclaimed author Mindy McGinnis artfully crafts three alternating perspectives into a dark and riveting exploration of what it means to be the female of the species.

I've been intrigued by this book since I first saw the title, and now we have a cover and a description to kill for and I'm so excited I couldn't wait and read the four chapter excerpt that came along with the cover reveal last week. Whew! And now I'm wishing I hadn't because I am seriously so impatient to read the rest of the book. Why do I do this to myself?

What are you desperately waiting for this Wednesday? Let us know in the comments or share a link to your own WoW post!

Read More

Labels: contemporary, harper-collins, mindy mcginnis, psychological thriller, waiting on wednesday (wow)

{Review} The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

Title: The Accident Season
Author: Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Publication Date: August 18, 2015
Source: ARC received for review from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

It's the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom.

The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.

But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?

This was a strange little book, but in the best possible way. The "is this real or all a dream?" aspect had me captivated. I just love a good psychological thriller, where you're never sure if the narrator is reliable or not...when you don't know if you're dealing with magical realism or something more sinister but wholly of this world.

I wasn't expecting the story to go in the direction that it did, until a comment was made by one of the characters and then I was sure that what I was dreading was coming to fruition...or had already. At that point, I liked the situation less but not the story. The narrative, as a whole, was pretty compelling, and I found it hard to find a good stopping point when reading. And if I'm being completely honest, I didn't stop reading until I reached the end.

The possibility of changelings and ghosts and ghost houses is what really kept me intrigued. I love that those things kind of kept me off-kilter the entire time I was reading, mostly because I was hoping this was that kind of book...that like The Darkest Part of the Forest, it would leave me uncertain for the entirety of the book, wondering if anything was what it seemed.

I'm not going to beat around the bush: this book was confusing as hell most of the time, but that's what I loved about it. Well, besides the characters because they were so vibrant and I couldn't not love them. These kids were just so engaging and they all but leapt off the page at me. Their friendships and relationships, their trials and tribulations, those are what I found so captivating, even without the potential for supernatural goodness.

There is some romance in this story -- actually, a couple of them -- but they are so far from the main focus of this book as to be almost inconsequential. Except that they are important because they are quirky and adorable and not without their problems. It's difficult to talk much about those, though, because SPOILERS but it is worth mentioning that these are not what some might call traditional romances, though that fact bothered me not one iota. I loved them because they were far from easy or typical.

I do wish there had been a little more attention on the Accident Season as a whole and not this one specific Accident Season because I still have questions about the whys and hows of it. It was explained but it was such a small bit at the end that I felt a tad unsatisfied. Still, the writing was stunning and very visual and it more than made up for those teeny, tiny questions I had at the end. And being the over-thinker that I am, I'll probably always have questions when it comes to a story like this, which is partly why I read them...I love it when an author makes me work for it, doesn't spell it all out and leaves me demanding more, even if I know I'll never get it. So, basically, you should read this book so you can be just as confused and full of wonder as I am, and then we can compare notes.

GIF it to me straight:

It's a head-scratcher of the best sort.

About the Author:

Moïra Fowley-Doyle is half-French, half-Irish and lives in Dublin with her husband, their young daughter and their old cat. Moïra's French half likes red wine and dark books in which everybody dies. Her Irish half likes tea and happy endings.

Moïra spent several years at university studying vampires in young adult fiction before concentrating on writing young adult fiction with no vampires in it whatsoever. She wrote her first novel at the age of eight, when she was told that if she wrote a story about spiders she wouldn't be afraid of them any more. Moïra is still afraid of spiders, but has never stopped writing stories.

Find Moïra:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Read More

Labels: beautiful covers, lgbt, magical realism, moira fowley-doyle, mystery, penguin, psychological thriller, random house, reviews, the accident season, tough subject

{Audiobook} Review: The Remedy by Suzanne Young

Title: The Remedy
Author: Suzanne Young
Narrator(s): Rebekkah Ross
Series: The Program, book #0.5/#3 (prequel)
Length: 9 hrs 45 mins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication Date: April 21, 2015
Source: audiobook received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

In a world before The Program…

Quinlan McKee is a closer. Since the age of seven, Quinn has held the responsibility of providing closure to grieving families with a special skill—she can “become” anyone.

Recommended by grief counselors, Quinn is hired by families to take on the short-term role of a deceased loved one between the ages of fifteen and twenty. She’s not an exact copy, of course, but she wears their clothes and changes her hair, studies them through pictures and videos, and soon, Quinn can act like them, smell like them, and be them for all intents and purposes. But to do her job successfully, she can’t get attached.

Now seventeen, Quinn is deft at recreating herself, sometimes confusing her own past with those of the people she’s portrayed. When she’s given her longest assignment, playing the role of Catalina Barnes, Quinn begins to bond with the deceased girl’s boyfriend. But that’s only the beginning of the complications, especially when Quinn finds out the truth about Catalina’s death. And the epidemic it could start.

So, I've gone through a whole gamut of emotions where this series -- and most especially this book -- is concerned. I loved The Program...it was so different from anything I'd read before. I was a tiny bit disappointed with the follow-up because The Treatment didn't pack the punch that the first book did, but overall I enjoyed it. And I found myself immensely excited about The Remedy when it was first announced, then apprehensive as release date loomed, and then almost completely apathetic because I was so sure I wouldn't love it as much as the previous books, and nowhere near as much as The Program.

Needless to say, I was wary, though after listening to this prequel to The Program, I can tell you I really had no reason to be. But I kind of feel like these books should incite these types of feelings in readers. After all, they're tackling the subjects of teen death and suicide and the programs the government puts in place to subvert these issues. That aspect alone is reason to tread carefully.

The Remedy brought to mind all of the things that I loved so much about The Program: the secrets and lies, the government involvement, the main character's loss of self, and the emotional manipulation that comes with the territory. But it also gave me a new character to completely agonize over. Where Sloane had her memories taken away from her in The Program, this prequel gives us a protagonist who has too many memories swirling away in her head -- a lot of them not her own -- to the point that she sometimes can't separate her reality from those of the deceased people she's portrayed.

I really enjoyed the pacing and characterization in this novel, especially Quinn's interactions with those she knows from work and with those of her host families. It's creepy in its own right, what she does for a living, but I can also see the value in it. Though I hope our society never resorts to this method of coping because I can also see why outsiders had a hard time with Quinn's presence when she was on assignment.

I'll be honest, I loved this book, but I'm a tad worried about the "sequel" since it'll be an "on-the-run" type book, much like The Treatment was. I think I prefer the "edging closer to the cliff" setup of Young's first books when it comes to her duologies, over the chase-and-answer sequels. But I could be completely wrong on that front, especially considering what happened in that epilogue. (!)

At any rate, this was another fabulous audiobook from Rebekkah Ross, aka Elizabeth Louise. I listened to this last week and then picked up Confess almost immediately after, and I couldn't help but notice that the narrators sounded the same. Ya know, I'm not complaining, but I really wish there was a list of narrator pseudonyms somewhere so I knew who I was really getting. Actually, I'd probably listen to even more audiobooks if I knew this info. But I digress. :)

This was a great prequel. I can't usually say that, especially because I don't usually like to read prequels. It was also very creepy. Even more so than The Program. And I can't wait to find out how Quinn's story ties into that one, though I have my theories already. Mostly concerning a certain someone's daughter. Really hope the next book delivers the same oomph.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Originally from New York, Suzanne Young moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She currently resides in Tempe, where she teaches high school English. When not writing obsessively, Suzanne can be found searching her own tragic memories for inspiration.

Suzanne is the author of several books for teens, including THE PROGRAM, A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL, and A WANT SO WICKED.

Find Suzanne:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Read More

Labels: audiobooks, dystopian, psychological thriller, reviews, sci-fi, simon schuster, suzanne young, the program

Review: Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Killer Instinct
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Naturals, book #2
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in an elite FBI program for teens with innate crime-solving abilities, and into some harrowing situations. After barely escaping a confrontation with an unbalanced killer obsessed with her mother’s murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases from a distance.

But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean’s incarcerated father—a man he’d do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer’s psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer’s brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

With her trademark wit, brilliant plotting, and twists that no one will see coming, Jennifer Lynn Barnes will keep readers on the edge of their seats (and looking over their shoulders) as they race through the pages of this thrilling novel.

Do any of you watch The Following? That Kevin Bacon show on Fox that follows his character as he tries to determine a serial killer's next move in an attempt to save the next victim? This book reminded me a lot of that show -- especially the utilization of a criminal mastermind already serving time for over a dozen murders -- and that isn't a bad thing. I really thought I wasn't going to like that series because of all of the gratuitous violence, but as it turns out, I rather like trying to get inside the head of a serial killer. And that's exactly what the Naturals are up to in this sequel.

The gang's all back together and they're still trying to cope with the fact that none of them realized that there was a serial killer in their midst this past summer. To take their minds off of that, there's a new serial killer in town and he's mimicking the murders of one Daniel Redding...who just happens to be Dean's serial killer father who's been locked away in prison for the last five years. As you can probably guess, because of that, this book focuses on Dean a lot, though it's still narrated by Cassie, who spends a lot of her time analyzing Dean while also trying not to push him further away.

And while she pretty much fails at that 90% of the time, she's still got Michael not pressuring her -- but totally pressuring her -- to come to a decision, i.e. pick him or Dean, once and for all. Of course, he obviously thinks she's going to pick him with that kind of confidence and determination, but Cassie is all over the place. This love triangle of doom, while not the focus of these books, drove me a little nuts because one minute Cassie doesn't want to feel anything for either boy, the next she's nearly kissing Michael, and the next she's having a heart-to-heart with Dean, trying to gauge his feelings, if any, for her. It seems pretty well resolved by the end of this novel, but I don't necessarily like the path it took to get there.

Like I said, that's not the focal point of this novel, though. The copycat serial killer is and more is at stake now than ever before. Because of who the killer is copying. Because there's a new agent on the case to replace Locke. Because of said agent's relationship to both Briggs and the serial killer. Because no matter how much the FBI wants to keep the Naturals off the active cases, they need these kids' help because of their special abilities.

Things were slow in the beginning of this novel, with the post-Locke adjustments and the Agent Sterling adjustments, but the plot is absorbing in a way that even the first book wasn't. And yet again, Barnes was able to create some really great twists that I did not see coming. I was excited to see that after The Naturals, there would be a follow-up to Cassie's story. I am even more giddy with the ending to Killer Instinct because it seems like there's quite a bit more story to tell and I'm very eager to get to it.

GIF it to me straight:

Oooh, creepy...but definitely something to keep in mind.

About the author:

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has been, in turn, a competitive cheerleader, a volleyball player, a dancer, a debutante, a primate cognition researcher, a teen model, a comic book geek, and a lemur aficionado. She's been writing for as long as she can remember, finished her first full book (which she now refers to as a "practice book" and which none of you will ever see) when she was still in high school, and then wrote Golden the summer after her freshman year in college, when she was nineteen.

Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She was awarded a Fulbright to do post-graduate work at Cambridge, and then returned to the states, where she is hard at work on her PhD.

Find Jen:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Tumblr

Read More

Labels: disney hyperion, favorites, jennifer lynn barnes, murder mystery, psychological thriller, reviews, the naturals

{Audiobook} Review: Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Black Ice
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Narrator(s): Jenna Lamia
Series:  n/a
Length: 11 hrs 20 mins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Source: audiobook received from publisher, galley from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

The Hush, Hush series was one of the first series I picked up after I started reading YA regularly, and while I admit that I enjoyed the story at the time, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I would not have the same experience were I to re-read those books. I actually never finished the series because I was rather upset when a fourth book was announced for a series that was originally only planned for three books. (Even back then, I hated being duped into buying more books in order to get the full story I was promised.)

But I was intrigued by the premise for Black Ice: the mountaintop survival story, the kidnapping aspect, and how any of this was going to result in some sort of romance. Unfortunately, as with the author's other series, I found that this story revolved too much around the possible romantic entanglements and spent much less time on the survival portion of the novel than I would have liked. I figured some sort of Stockholm Syndrome-type relationship was going to develop, and I wasn't wrong. But did both potential love interests have to be such forceful, chauvinistic neanderthals? One ex-boyfriend and one kidnapper...I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised. And after my previous experience with this author's work, I'm not really. Honestly, I might have been more inclined toward the romantic aspect of the story had it not been for that epilogue, though.

But I digress. As a psychological thriller, this story worked for me. I did predict pretty early on who was the good guy, who was the bad guy, and who was the even worse guy. But the way in which the author unveils each character, shows his true side and his motivations, was kind of clever and entertaining. I only wish the females in this story had been half as clever. Britt semi-redeems herself along the way, but I don't think there was ever hope for her friend Korbie. These girls make bad decision after bad decision and pretty much live in complete denial of real life. Thinking they were ready to survive a backpacking trip, let alone a snowstorm on a mountain, was really a bit far-fetched. Britt does show that she at least prepared for their trip here and there along the way, but I wish she'd trusted her instincts a little more when it came to all those men.

I'm really glad that this book was a stand-alone, at least. I enjoyed the audiobook narration, so I might have pushed myself to continue if it were to become a series, just for that fact. One of the stars in my rating is for the narration alone. I've heard Jenna Lamia narrate a few YA novels over the years, and I think she does a great job of portraying these young characters. For one, she actually sounds like a teenager. Her voice definitely conveys the youthfulness necessary to sound like a character in a YA novel. I can think of many examples where that wasn't the case and it was a detriment to my listening experience. And she didn't do that thing that a lot of females -- in general, not just narrators -- do to make their voice deep enough to portray a male character. You know, where you drop your chin into your chest and try to make your voice sound as deep and manly as possible, but all you end up sounding like is a fraud. The male equivalent would be using an unnaturally high voice to portray female characters. Both are equally annoying and seem like rookie mistakes when narrating an audiobook. I'm glad that this wasn't an aspect I had to deal with in this audiobook, especially since there were other areas that I wasn't necessarily impressed with.

Black Ice had its problems, but I found it entertaining enough to keep me listening, even if it was mostly to prove my theory correct. I don't think I'll ever find a favorite among this author's work, but I'm not completely opposed to it, either.

GIF it to me straight:

How about y'all worry a little less about hugging and a little more about surviving that snowstorm? 

About the author:

Becca Fitzpatrick grew up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden with a flashlight under the covers. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she's most likely prowling sale racks for reject shoes, running, or watching crime dramas on TV. She is the author of the bestselling HUSH, HUSH Saga. Her new book BLACK ICE arrives in bookstores everywhere October 7, 2014.

Find Becca:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Read More

Labels: audiobooks, becca fitzpatrick, black ice, contemporary, psychological thriller, reviews, simon schuster

Waiting on Wednesday: Twisted Fate & The Fill-in Boyfriend

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selections are...








's Pick:




Title: Twisted Fate
Author: Norah Olson
Series: n/a
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Publication Date: January 20th, 2015

When Alyson meets Graham Copeland, the new boy next door, she instantly feels like he’s a kindred spirit—shy and awkward like her, someone who has trouble making friends. It’s impossible to resist having a crush on him.

As usual, her sister, Sydney, sees things differently. In Sydney's mind, Graham's odd personality and secretive past scream psychopath, not sweetheart. Her gut is telling her to stay away from him, and to protect a love-struck Alyson from her own naïveté. But despite her instincts, Sydney is surprised to realize that a part of her is drawn to Graham, too.

And the more Sydney gets to know him, the more she realizes just how right—and wrong—she is about everything.

Perfect for fans of Michelle Hodkin, and E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, Twisted Fate is an unputdownable novel, teeming with suspense.

These kind of books are seriously growing on me and this cover is so eye catching. I cannot wait to start this one!





's Pick:



Title: The Fill-in Boyfriend
Author: Kasie West
Series: n/a
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 5, 2015

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend— two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party — three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Kasie West is on my author auto-buy list and with good reason. Her books tend to feature an adorable romance and have the cutest covers. And I think this book is going to be beyond cute....I'm hoping for some serious hijinks to ensue with a plot like that! :)

What are you desperately waiting for this Wednesday? Let us know in the comments or share a link to your own WoW post!

Read More

Labels: beautiful covers, contemporary, funfunfun, harper-collins, kasie west, norah olson, psychological thriller, suspense, the fill-in boyfriend, twisted fate, waiting on wednesday (wow)